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Originally Posted by kittygilchrist
I finally got past the exaggerated use of the word immortality and looked up an explanation of telomeres. You'll find a link below. Very interesting...and tucked at the bottom of the article, encouragement to reduce oxidative stress, something we all can actually do for ourselves.
Thanks for the topic, VPL. I need to reduce oxidative stress.
Are Telomeres The Key To Aging And Cancer? |
You're welcome and thanks for the link. I read the whole thing; it was interesting. It said oxidative stress is caused by oxidants and not long ago I read that iron is a potent oxidant. Red meat is a source of iron so maybe that's one reason why vegans and vegetarians, like seventh day Adventists, live so much longer. Their average life expectancy is 88.
Glycation was mentioned too and the article seems to suggest that calorie restriction is something we can do about it. We can restrict calories by avoiding high-calorie processed foods.
Dr. Dean Ornish, along with Dr. Blackburn did a study that showed we can lengthen telomeres by eating a healthy vegan diet, moderate exercise and stress reduction. This lifestyle increases the enzyme telomerase and it's what allows telomeres to lengthen. It helps DNA to repair itself. So we can stay younger by living a healthy lifestyle.